Stereotype plate casting



May 25, 1946.

F. A. FOSTER 2,400,987 STEREOTYPE FLA-TE CASTING 7 Filed Nov. 16, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 28, 1946. POST? 2,400,987

I STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING Filed Nov. 16, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "viii INVENTOR. {ran/K17. Zksiar Patented May 28, 1946 ENT OFFICE STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING Frank A. Foster, Melrose Pack; 111.,

as'signor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois Application November 16, 1943, Serial No. 510,458

1 Claim.

This invention is a machine for casting stereotype plates containing recesses in the back thereof, such recesses being used in applying circumferential tension to the plate.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may tice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations, and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one em bodiment of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a stereotype plate casting machine embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the machine looking from the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 2, enlarged and broken away to show certain parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a still further enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a detail. V

The prinicipal object of the present invention is to provide pivoted die which are projected and retracted automatically into and out of casting position by the closing and opening movevments of the cope or drag. Another object is to interconnect the mechanism for operating the pivoted dies with the lockup for the cope for simultaneous operation. Still another object is to provide operating mechanism for the pivoted dies which can readily be builtinto existing types of stereotype plate casting machine and oper ated by the lockup means already present in such machines.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a stereotype plate castin machine, having pivoted dies which are movable outwardly and inwardly with respect to the core, to and from casting position, these dies serving as patterns or cores for forming recesses in the back of the stereotype plates. The actuating mechanism for these dies is interconnected with the lockup means for the cope, so that when the lockup means is moved to the locked position, continued movement thereof past the locked Dobe learned by pracsition will serve to project the dies to casting position. Means are also provided to control the dies so that the initial movement of the lockup means in unlocking the cope serves to retract the dies into the core, corresponding to the plate removing position, continuation of the unlocking movement unlocking the cope. To express the matter in another way, the lockup means, serves firstto lock the cope in casting position, and a continuation of the same movement serves to project the dies into casting position. After the plate has been cast, movement of the lockup means in the opposite direction serves first to retract the dies to the plate releasing position, and a continuation of the same movement unlocks the cope.

The purpose of providing recesse in the back of a stereotype plate is to enable such plates to be used on a plate cylinder where the leading edge of the plate is fixed to the cylinder and where a. circumferential tension is exerted on the trailing edge of the cylinder, as illustrated for example in the patents to Crafts No. 2,047,357 dated July 14, 1936, or Worthington No. 2,236,230

25 dated March 25, 1941.

In high speed printing, there is some tendency for the plate to become displaced from the plate cylinder, due to possible slight deformation of the plate in continued running, due to successive pressure waves to which the plate is continuously subjectedand due to centrifugal force. The use of circumferential tension on the plates corrects these conditions to a substantial extent.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in connection with the subsequent detailed description of the present preferred embodiment, and it will be understood that the preceding general statement and the following detailed description are both exem- 40 plary and illustrative and not restrictive of the invention.

The present preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in connection with a well known type of stereotype casting machine manufactured by The Goss Printing Press Company and now on the market and known as the Goss 44C or 44-F stereotype plate casting machine. This machine comprises a vertically p0 sitioned core and a cope pivoted at about the center of gravity and bodily swingable between vertical and horizontal positions out of and into casting position. This general type of movement is well known in the art and is shown for example in the patent to Scott No. 799,759 dated September 19, 1905.

7 each of which is mounted a stud 48 on The machine of the present invention comprises a vertically positioned core 2 mounted on a base 4. Cooperating with the core 2 i a cope 6 carrying laterally projecting studs 8 on which are journalled rollers l0. Connected to the cope 6 is a link l2 pivoted to an arm l4 fixed on the shaft l6. Clockwise movement of the shaft l6 moves the cope 6 bodily away fromthe core, the rollers 10 rolling on the trackway (8 until the ends of the studs 8 engage with the latches 20 for holding the cope in a horizontal position The lockup mechanism comprises an upper transverse shaft The shaft 22 is provided with cam hooks 26 movable therewith and provided with cam slotsv 28, engageable with laterally projecting studs 29 on the cope.

A second and lower transverse shaft 30 mounted in bearings 32 is connected to upper shaft 22 by a link 3:! and arms 36 fixed to the respective I shafts, so that the shafts move in unison. The lower shaft 38 is provided with hooks 38 havin slots 39 engageable with studs as on the cope. All of the parts so far described, except for the shape of cam slat 28, to be described, are known in the art.

Coming now to the particular subject matter of the present invention, a pair of die controlling shafts 5?. are vertically mounted in suitable bearings adjacent the longitudinal edges of the cope 2. Rigidly secured to the shafts 42, at spaced intervals, are a pluralit conveniently three in number, of hcoklike dies 44 movable back and forth in recesses 35 in the core. Members 44 are provided with extensions 47 in the ends of which is mounted rollers 58 and 5B engageable in cam slots 52 and 52' in the cam 54 and 54, rigidly secured to the lower transverse shaft 39. As is evident from Fig. 4, oscillating movement of the shaft 30 about its axis wiil, by reason of the cam slot 52, move the dies 44 about their pivot and cause them to move to and from casting position. In Fig. 3 the dies are shown in casting position and in Fig. 4 they are shown in retracted 01' plate releasing position. A marginal strip 55 held in place by the cleat 56 closes the edge of the casting recess 58 and aids in the positioning of matrix 69.

The shape of the cam slots 28 is an important feature of this invention. The outer portions of these slots 28 are so shaped that they will receive the studs 29 on the cope and will draw the studs to the left, to pull the cope 6 to the closed position ready for casting. This much is accomplished by that part of the slot from its open end to about the line 5|. From the line 6| to about the line 62 the slot 28 is concentric 22 journalled in bearings 24.

the cam 26, the stud reaches the with the axis of shaft 22 so that continued clockwise movement of the cam 26 by its operating handle 64 has no effect in drawing the cope any tighter. Such continued movement, however, operates the transverse shaft 22, line 34 and lower transverse shaft 30, to bring the cams 54 and 54 and their cam slots into action to move arms 4! and 4"" to the left and right, respectively, and the dies 44 to the right and left, respectively, to move the dies to casting position. In other words, when the cope is being locked up, the studs 29 are first engaged in the outer part of the cam slots 28 and the cams 26 moved clockwise. As the stud 29 rides in the slot 28 the cope is closed and held in the closed or casting position, which is reached by the time the stud 29 gets to the line 65. With continued clockwise movement of line 62 in the slot which operates link 34 and shaft 30 to cause cams 5 3 and 54' to move the dies outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3, which is the casting position.

After the casting operation has been completed, handle Ed is swung counter clockwise and the first part of this movement, where the stud 29 reaches line Bl operates link 34, shaft 30 and cams 52 and 52 in the opposite direction to retract the dies to the plate releasing position of Fig. 4. Continued counter clockwise movement of the handle effects the unlocking movement of the cope so that it can be swung to the horizontal position and the cast plate stripped off in the usual way, with recesses in the back thereof formed by the dies 44.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claim without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

I claim as my invention:

A casting box for casting stereotype plates with recesses in the back thereof, comprising a vertical core, shafts extending lengthwise thereof, dies carried by said shafts and movable therewith, to and from casting position, a cope swingable and bodily movable to and from casting position, transverse shafts operatively connected with said die carrying shafts, lock-up means carried by said transverse shafts, and a link connecting the transverse shafts, said lock-up means including a cam whereby movement of the lockup past the locked position actuates the die shafts to move the dies to casting position, and the initial part of the unlocking movement actuates the die shafts to retract the dies to plate-removing position.

FRANK A. FOSTER. 

